The present invention relates to a twist vehicle, and more particularly to an operation arrangement for a twist vehicle that is stable and balanced while in operation and also easy and comfortable to operate.
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
Because twist cars are usually designed as toys for children, the dimensions of the twist car are usually relatively small. Furthermore, since the steering wheel of a twist car is positioned parallel to the ground, the operator must lean her entire body forward in order for the operator to operate the steering wheel. At the same time, the operator""s feet can only rest on the footrest that is located on either side of the driving shaft. As a result, the operator""s knees will often touch the operator""s elbows and thus interfere with the operator""s twisting of the steering wheel. In addition, when the operator leans forward to operate the twist car, her center of gravity usually shifts towards the front of the driving frame, causing the twist car to flip or roll over. Thus, the present invention specifically moves the steering, wheel back towards the operator""s arms and extends the wheelbase of the twist car, thereby promoting stability, ease of use, and maintaining comfortable operating position.
The main object of the present invention is to provide an operation arrangement for a twist vehicle, and more particularly, a twist vehicle with a steering wheel that is closer to operator""s seating position. Common twist vehicles comprise a triangular driving frame that is located behind two driving wheels. The triangular driving frame is connected to and operated manually through a handle bar. When an operator swings the handle bar from left to right, a resulting forward force is generated by the driving wheels"" circular motion. But because the triangular driving frame must be operated through the handle bar, as a result, the operator has to operate the twist vehicle within the limited chassis space. The operator must lean forward towards the handle bar that is commonly located in front of the vehicle. Furthermore, the two driving wheels are further extended back towards the idle wheels by the triangular driving frame resulting in a very short wheelbase. The net effect of the common twist vehicle is that the center gravity is too often shifted towards the front of the vehicle and as the operator uses the vehicle, the vehicle has a tendency to tip and flip over. Thus, through this invention, the steering wheel can be shifted backward and the triangular driving frame can be operated through a rocking, arm linkage to move the driving, frame. The wheelbase is also further lengthened as the driving frame is moved forward and, thus effectively keeping the center of gravity within the wheelbase and at a safe position.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a linkage arrangement for connecting a sliding shaft to the rocking arm and the rocking arm to a steering shaft and the steering shaft to a steering wheel so that the steering wheel can be tilted at an angle. As a result, the operation can be done at a more natural position and thereby increasing the easiness of operation.